Somebody's Chelsea
by nine-orcids
Summary: Songfic: Somebody's Chelsea by Reba McEntire  A talk with an old Muggle man about his dearly loved, but departed wife convinced Lily to give James a chance


**Song: Somebody's Chelsea**

**Artist: Reba McEntire**

* * *

><p>It was Christmas time, and Lily Evans was home for her last ever school holiday. It was hard for her to believe that nearly seven years had already passed since she had first stepped on the Hogwarts Express… so much had changed since then.<p>

Today she was going to go shopping for her parents and sister. Seeing as Petunia hated anything to do with magic, she couldn't shop for them in Hogsmeade like she did everyone else. She had gotten up early and was now waiting for her dad outside, he was taking her to the train station so she could get to London.

_Met an old man yesterday_

_Sat next to me on a westbound plane_

_He said "I was married sixty years,_

_I swear it feels like she's still here."_

_Then he took out a picture_

As she stared out at the rapidly moving scenery, she didn't notice the gray haired man who stood in the aisle beside her seat.

"Excuse me dear," he said pointing at the seat across from her, "But is this spot taken?"

She glanced at him, smiled, and shook her head. Gesturing to it, she said, "Please, sit down."

He returned the smile and did as she bit. The next thirty minutes of the ride passed in silence, before he randomly asked her something.

"Are you in love dear?"

Caught off guard, she wasn't able to answer right away. Finally, she managed to ask,

"What?"

"Are you in love? You have that look about you…"

She smiled sadly and shook her head.

"This Christmas is going to be my first without my wife…she died a couple of months ago from cancer, Leukemia. We were married only sixty-seven years before she was taken from me... Even after six months, it still hasn't sunk into me that she's gone."

"What did she look like?"

He helt up a finger and reached into his back pocket. Pulling out a piece of paper, he showed her a several Muggle photographs. They ranged from that of a young woman to one of the same woman as an old, but still mischievously smiling old woman.

_Staring at that black and white_

_The tears filled up in his eyes_

_I said "You were a lucky man."_

_He said "I feel like I still am."_

"She's beautiful," she whispered, looking through the small stack, "You were lucky to have her...

When she glanced at the man again, she saw that there were tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Yes, I was. I still am. In her, I had the best woman in the world…I'll love her until I leave this earth, indeed till the end of time."

The two fell silent again as she went back to looking at the images he'd given her and he fought to regain control over his emotions. In her mind, she couldn't help but be amazed at his words. They were said with so much adoration…

"By the way, I don't think I told you. My name is Samuel. Samuel Tatum. My friends call me Sam," he told her, holding out his hand.

"Lily Evans," she whispered, taking the offered hand but not looking up from the pictures that still captivated her.

"What was her name?"

"Chelsea. Chelsea Seymour-Tatum."

_When he told me her name_

_I heard myself say..._

_ I wanna be Somebody's Chelsea_

_Somebody's world_

_Somebody's day and night_

_One and only girl_

_A part of a love story_

_That never has an end_

_You know that's what every woman wants to be_

_Somebody's Chelsea_

She felt herself smile.

"That's beautiful…" she told him, falling silent again.

He could tell something was bothering her.

"What is it child?" he asked the redhead curiously.

"It's nothing really, just…I wish I could have a love like that. To be so important to someone, even after I was gone. I'm afraid the closest thing I've had is…well never mind…I just wished I had someone like that…" she whispered, beginning to mumble.

In her head, a familiar hazel eyed boy popped up and smirked at her. Why was she thinking of him?

_He made me laugh when he talked about_

_Their first date and her father's doubts_

_He said "Even as her hair turned gray, _

_She still took my breath away._

_"And that it never changed with time_

_That's when I closed my eyes_

As the ride progressed, he began to tell her about his wife. About the first moment he saw her at a Boardwalk bonfire, with her gleaming chocolate brown hair shining in the firelight and her piercing blue eyes closed in laughter. About how he had tried to seek her out, but had lost her in the crowd. How he had searched, fruitlessly, for her and ended up finding her as a waitress in a diner he'd entered a week later on a whim.

How they started talking and he'd blushingly asked her for a date. She'd smiled at him and told him to come by her family's house later that day for a barbeque. How he did, and how her father didn't like him from the moment he showed up.

In the next hours, he made her laugh and cry with tales of his wedding day, of when his children were born, of being separated by wars, of one of their children's death, of the birth of a grandchild.

As they neared London, she began to tell him of _him,_ the Arrogant toe-rag that refused to leave her alone both when he wasn't around her and when he was. About his pranks, about his confessions of love throughout the years, his constant asking her out, and of the cold shoulder he'd been giving her of late.

_I wanna be Somebody's Chelsea_

_Somebody's world_

_Somebody's day and night_

_One and only girl_

_A part of a love storyThat never has an end_

_You know that's what every woman wants to be_

_Somebody's Chelsea_

As the train pulled into the station, she found herself saying, "And so through all of this, he'd grown on me. I think I've began to have feelings for him, and I don't know if he still likes me. I think I ruined any chance I ever had…if he even ever liked me at all."

Sam considered her for a moment, before a smile crossed his face.

"Lily, my dear, it seems to me this boy is fighting his gut instincts and giving you what you want. Didn't you just tell me you've told him for years to leave you alone? He still loves you, but he'd putting you two's fate in your hands. He's waiting for you to realize your feelings for him on your own."

She considered him for a moment before glancing back out the window at London's busy streets.

Could he be right? Could this be James's way of letting her realize what he'd always known?

_And when we finally said goodbye_

_I hugged him and said _

_"I'll never forget_

_How you showed me what it means..."_

As the train came to a stop, she turned back to Samuel Tatum.

"Thanks for talking to me Sam, and giving me a few things to think about," she said to the old man, embracing him in a hug.

"Your welcome Lily-flower. I must thank you as well for letting me talk about my Chelsea. It's nice when someone listens. Happy Christmas girl…and give that boy a chance! He might surprise you my dear."

With that the two parted ways, each going a different directions.

As the day progressed and she'd gotten her gifts for those at home, she headed toward the Leaky Cauldron pub. From there, she entered Diagon Alley and headed towards the first shop she saw, which happen to be a jeweler's.

There, she bought one last present. A small silver rendition of a running stag on a leather thong.

After that purchase, she returned to the train station and got aboard. The trip home was a bit lonely without her new friend with her.

Upon arriving back, she hurried to her room and placed the necklace in a box along with a hastily scribbled note. After tying the black box shut and covering it with brown paper, she placed it in her owl, Athena's, beak and whispered who it was to go to in her ear.

She sat in her window seat as she watched the bird fly off, praying that perhaps old Sam had been right. Praying that she hadn't just set herself up for a broken heart.

_To be Somebody's Chelsea_

_Somebody's world_

_Somebody's day and night_

_One and only girl_

_A part of a love storyThat never has an end_

_You know that's what every woman wants to be_

_And I wanna be Somebody's Chelsea_

_Somebody's Chelsea_

_Somebody's Chelsea_

_Somebody's Chelsea_

James Potter looked at the unfamiliar bird curiously, before taking the package it offered. Reaching into his desk drawer, he retrieved a couple of owl treats and offered them to her. Then he turned his attention to the box.

Pulling off the wrapping and opening it, he found the necklace and the note.

Written in Lily's familiar script was a message that soared past his partially broken heart and healed him to the soul. It had been killing him these past few months to ignore Lily, but it was the last thing he could think of that might make her his.

_**Dear James, **_

_**Happy Christmas! I just wanted to tell you that, and if you ask me again…this time I might say yes.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Lily**_

The day before term restarted he looked desperately for her on the platform, her necklace tied around his neck.

When he spotted her, a grin spread across his face.

"Hey Evans!" he called out to her, fighting his way over through the crowd.

Before she could say anything, he asked, "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"

She smiled at his bluntness, and instead of answering, she did the thing he least expected her to do.

She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to hers, their lips meeting in a light kiss.

"What does that tell you?" she asked after pulling away.

He smiled down at her, his face conveying the emotions he felt but could not voice.

"I love you…" he whispered, burying his nose in her sweet smelling hair. He almost couldn't believe it when she whispered the words he'd longed to here from her since he was eleven years old and first saw her.

"Oh James…I love you to."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Before you say anything, this was my first songfic. The idea came to me driving down the road and the song came on the radio. I sat down and started writing the minute I got home… I hope you like it, and please Review! (please?) **


End file.
